Voter Guide: Dave Espe

1.Describe your background, experience and public school involvement that qualify you for the Eden Prairie School Board.I am a current member of the Eden Prairie School Board, and I am enthusiastic about running for a second 4-year term. As the only incumbent on the ballot, I bring a wealth of knowledge about what the School Board is required to do, and how the School Board is to function. I have completed two years as the Vice-Chair of the School Board as well as serving on various committees including the Negotiations Committee. If re-elected, I will have the second longest tenure on the School Board (a mere four years).I am married and have five children, the oldest four are graduates of Eden Prairie High School and my youngest is a junior. I have lived in Eden Prairie for over 16 years. I have coached youth sports for over 20 seasons (baseball, basketball, football and soccer). I am a member of the Praise Band (Servant Song) at Immanuel Lutheran Church, playing guitar and singing. I am a passionate believer in strong public schools, and we celebrate that our Eden Prairie schools are some of the finest in the state, and the nation.I am also the point person for building the Miracle Field in Eden Prairie, which will give all children, regardless of any physical or cerebral issue, the opportunity to join a team and play baseball. We anticipate starting play in the spring of 2016.When I was elected to the School Board in 2011, our district was in a very different place than we are today. The district was not functioning well at that time, and in the past four years we have hired a new Superintendent, approved the hiring of many new Principals and Assistant Principals, approved the hiring of virtually an entire new senior staff (reporting to the Superintendent); replaced our governance structure with a new process called Policy Governance to better assign clear roles and responsibilities between the School Board and the Superintendent; and began to bring a focus back to student growth and proficiency. We have renewed our referendums to place the district in strong financial shape. The district has never been in better shape than it is today; we are not yet perfect, but we are improving daily and we have a clear direction as to where we are headed (through the development of a Strategic Plan).2.What are the growing trends in student needs, and how should the Eden Prairie School District address them?One of the most significant issues facing our district (and our country) is the widening gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” (the “wealth” issue). When the School Board was considering the 1-1 technology plan three years ago (which was to put a computer device in each student’s hands), the primary reason I gave my support was that this was a “game changer” – enabling each student to have a computer for their school work as well as research, self learning, etc. No longer was the computer a “differentiator” – now it placed all students on a fairly level playing field. As a public school district, I welcome any child (regardless of background) to come to our district who truly wants to learn, work hard, and earn a great education. There is nothing more important than educating each and every child.3.Discuss any specific changes you would like to make in school district policies, programs or curricula.Under Policy Governance, virtually all programs and curriculum content fall under the responsibility and decision making of the Superintendent, not the School Board. We monitor the Superintendent’s work through our board policies annually, and the board will make a determination if the Superintendent is making reasonable progress. These reports are found on the Eden Prairie School District website. As you peruse the reports, you will find that this is by no means a “rubber stamp” process, and you will notice that we have found work as not making reasonable progress.One particular area where the Board has taken an active role is that we anticipate that EACH student will be proficient and show a minimum of one year’s growth in all of our core subjects (reading, math and science). This becomes the “proof” that our students are indeed learning at the proper pace.4. What recommendations do you have for the school district to save money?I want to thank once again the community members approved the referendums over the past two years. These have enabled us to retain a solid financial footing to support our students. Prior to the operational referendum approved in 2014, the district had been on a significant spending reduction plan of approximately $17 million dollars over the previous 3-4 years. Those cuts helped to streamline our district, and we intend to stay financially responsible. With about 90% of our operations budget committed to employees (salary and benefits), the reality is that any reductions could lead to negative impacts to our district (such as increased classroom sizes). We have directed our superintendent to find a minimum of $500,000 in cost reductions each year and we plan to continue doing so. As a board member, I will continue to keep a strong focus on our spending, and that we continue to look at the benefits, and risks, as we look at future cost reductions.5.How will you engage the community to improve Eden Prairie public schools?The current School Board has taken a very proactive approach to improving in this area. We schedule community sessions throughout the year to listen to our parents and tax payers. All of our meetings are “open”, meaning that anyone can attend. At every School Board meeting, we make time available for our citizens to come and speak to the board. We publish our phone numbers and email addresses so that anyone can communicate with us at any time. All board meeting materials (agendas, minutes, audio/video) are made available through the district web site – www.edenpr.org .The district is also always looking for volunteers to come into our schools to help with different programs. You can contact the district administration office as well as any school to find out what opportunities for volunteerism are available.We want to hear from you, so don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.6. Will you attend the Eden Prairie School Board Candidate Fair at 6:00-7:30PM, Thursday, Oct. 1 at the Eden Prairie Library to meet the voters and respond to individual questions?Yes, I will attend the Eden Prairie School Board Candidate Fair at 6:00-7:30PM, Thursday, Oct. 1 at the Eden Prairie Library.

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